Albany mummies to go under the scanner

YNN  (Beth Croughan)

With Video.

It's the most popular exhibition at the Albany Institute of History and Art. But Saturday, part of the Ancient Egypt display is taken out of the museum to unwrap a mystery.

There were no sirens as the Five Quad Ambulance made its way to the Albany Medical Center. On board wasn't your average patient. Upon arrival, volunteers removed one of the Albany Institute of History and Art's two mummies; about 3,000 years old and carefully covered during transport.

"We get a chance to play detective. We've got two mummies, we're not sure about a lot of things about them. We're not sure about their age, their sex, what kind of occupations they had," said Egyptologist Dr. Bob Brier.

Using X-Ray and CT Scan machines researchers and radiologists will work to uncover new information about this ancient egyptian history.

The Saratogian (Danielle Sanzone) 

An ambulance that would normally be speeding along Washington Avenue and into Washington Park was carefully maneuvering through downtown Albany at about 15 mph Saturday morning to avoid any potholes or bumps.

The reason? Its passenger was a 2,000-year-old Egyptian mummy.

Two mummified Egyptians and an alligator mummy were transported to Albany Medical Center’s South Campus to undergo X-ray and CT scans in an effort to learn more about the Albany Institute of History and Art’s Egyptian collections and its mummies.